Find out how Toro felt after the Energy split and also get to know more about his new book,[ Open A Can Of Tuna ]

This trip to Singapore must feel very different...?
Toro:: Of course! But not because i'm nervous. After all, I've released three albums before this, and i've been in this line for over a year.
I might not be used to facing people alone, but i'm not nervous. This is the job of an artiste and i'm very sure i can handle this.

You were a special guest at Shin's concert. How did standing on the stage feel?
(Excited) Did you watch the concert?

Of course we did!
So how do you think i did?

Very well! I loved the SMAP song,"Only Flower In The World" you did with Tony.
Well, It's my new management company's way of making up for missing out on the other concert i was supposed to perform at two months ago.
(Frankly) I don't know if people in Singapore know this, but it wasn't that i didn't want to come for that concert.
The problem was that the rest had signed a contract that only included four members. I couldn't perform.
Even if i had come to Singapore, I would only be able to watch the concert as a paying spectator. It was ridiculous- I was supposed to be up on that stage performing!
Why should i have to pay for a ticket? They didn't even bother to invite me as a special guest. What can i say?
(Calmly) So i decided to leave it at that- I was very sure that i would have a chance to perform in Singapore one day. And i did! Shin did me a great favour by allowing me to perform at their concert, because i got the chance to fulfil my dream.
It was absolutely great to see the sea of cheering fans in front of me. I really felt the love and support from everyone.

You said onstage that you wouldn't cry. Were you really holding the tears back?
Yes, i was. And i told my fans not to cry either. You know, i'm always chatting with my fans and friends on the internet, and all of them know what i'm like - if i say they're not to do something, i'd better not catch them at it. If i did, i would get mad at them.
So when i said i wouldn't cry and didn't wand them to either, i made sure i didn't do it first. If you think about it, there wasn't really anything to cry about.
Getting to meet my fans is a happy occasion. I'm not standing onstage for you to see me cry. And i'm not there for you to cry over me either.
I'm here to perform. I've put all the unhappy events behind me, and i don't want to get upset again. There's no way to change history, so i've put it aside.

There have been legions of fans at every event you've been at, from Shin concert, to your book-signing session, to the handshake session with 5566. Were you worried about fan reaction before you got there?
Of course i was. The media reports in the past few months seem to have pointed the finger at me for causing the problem in Energy. I was afraid that the fans would believe what the media said, and boycott all my events.
I'm very touched when i see my fans at the events i attend. Actually, my heart aches whenever i see my fans. Especially on this trip to Singapore- i feel like i 've let my Singapore fans down by disppearing for such a long time.
When i felt it was time, i came out to tell my side of the story. When the truth was finally unfolded, i was very relieved. I believe all my fans have come back In some ways, it feels like i've got even more fans now. The fans have been very understanding, and have accepted my explanation.
After i finish filiming my new idol drama, i'll definitely try to make it down here again!
I think meeting my supporters face to face is very important, becoz it show your sincerity. I love doing events, even more than i like doing tv appearances or recording in the studio! It's probably becoz i like interacting with people, and i'm sure the fans are the happiest when their fav artistes hold events too.

Your new book is called Open Up A Can Of Tuna. What do you hope ur readers open up to find?
The reason i picked this tiels is obvious- my chinese name sounds the same as tuna in Mandarin. That's also why i'm called Toro. (Tuna in jap) Open A Can Of Tuna is my way of welcoming the readers into my heart, and showing them how i feel abt things.

You also drew that cute little fishie on the cover, didn't you?
(Huffily) Yes! And that's what's been making me very upset! I've been introducing that fish as Ah Toh, my little son, to every member of the media i've met, and asked everybody to take good care of him. Maybe i shouldn't have done that, becoz all my fans on the internet have fallen for my son! I'm still gonna keep talking about Ah Toh, because (stroking the pic of Ah Toh on the book) he's still my beloved son.

Instead of starting out anew as a singer with a new album, your first work presented after the energy split is a book. Was that done to distance yourself from your ex-bandmates?
(firmly) It was becoz i wanted to tell the world how i felt about everything that had happened. Manypeople say singing is a very good way of expressing ur emotions, but i feel that it's not as clear as writing everything down for the world to see. That's why i chose to return as an author.
I've had such a good response from my fans, both in Sg and Tw. I was actually worried abt whether the book would be available in Sg. Now...
(Conspiratorially) I am honestly shocked that everyone's gone to buy the book- esp becoz it's almost double the price that it is in Tw!

There's a line in the book that goes " the real world forces a person to mature". Is this a lesson you learnt after the Energy incident?
(Earnestly) Definitely. When you come out into the world and start working, you start to realise that the world really isn't as rosy a place as might have thought it was. You've probably felt the same way- when you first became a write, you probably saw the world as a beautiful place. But after awhile, you started to see the uglier side of things.
That's just life. What's more important is how you deal with it. You have to get over what you don't like abt the world. If you cant', just quit. But remember that if you quit, you're just a coward. That's why i've continued working even after all that's happened- i don't wanna be quitter, or give up all i've dreamed of.

So what was your greatest worry when Energy split?
There were a lot of loose ends i never tied. I'd never acted, or performed at an overseas concert. There were things that i could have accomplished, and i was very sure i had the ability to achieve all these things. Why did i have to quit just becoz i was forced into a corner? I refused to go back to being a normal student in University.
(Fiercely) I had one thought in my mind- that i would prove that i could do it alone, no matter how hard i had to push myself, or what sacrifices i had to make. And now that i've started on this new path alone, i'm gonna keep working hard and doing my best to suceed.

t0r0's soo brave huhs..? *proudd* of him lehs.. prove it to the world that he can do better even without the group, Energy. they left him out in the first place lors.